Meanwhile, the White Tiger Guild, which was following the villains, was facing significant difficulties.
"Vice President, we've lost track of the villains again."
"...Is that so?" Baek Miho frowned at the guild member's report. The area around Jisan Prison in Pocheon was particularly dense with forests and mountains. For the past two days, the White Tiger Guild had been meticulously tracking all predictable movement routes of the villains along the Hantan River, including Bojangsan, Bulmusan, and Eunjangsan Mountains. But the results were always the same.
"Teams B and C also reported losing the trail."
"...I see." Baek Miho nodded and looked at the mountain ridge bathed in bright sunlight with a complicated expression. The dense forest. It was the perfect environment for the villains to hide, but they were nowhere to be found. She gathered all the clues they had discovered so far in her mind.
'The villains who escaped from Jisan Prison scattered at some point.'
At first, seeing the traces, she considered the possibility that the villains had a conflict of opinions and split up right after the breakout. Realistically, that was the most likely scenario. They were a group united solely for the purpose of escape, and their leader, Hwang Dongsuk, was only a C-rank villain. It was unlikely that his leadership could maintain control over the villains indefinitely.
'But all those scattered traces disappeared? And not a single one remained?' Could this be a coincidence?
'No way.'
There was a distinct purpose behind the villains' actions. And that purpose could only lead to one conclusion. "...It doesn't seem like they split up. It looks like they scattered and then agreed to regroup at a specific location."
The guild member nodded with a heavy expression at Baek Miho's words. "I think so too. It's hard to believe, but it seems all 500 of them are moving with a single goal in mind. We don't know what that is, but the most likely possibility is..."
"Hwang Dongsoo, right?"
"..." The guild member fell silent at Baek Miho's words. He had no choice but to be careful with his words.
If an S-rank villain was involved, this was no ordinary matter. Baek Miho let out a quiet sigh and continued, "The possibility of Hwang Dongsoo's involvement in this incident is increasing."
"I heard you received information from Hunter Sung Suho that the likelihood of that is low."
"Yes, I did."
Baek Miho recalled the information Suho had given her. 'Hwang Dongsuk and Hwang Dongsoo aren't on good terms.'
This was the information Suho had obtained as soon as he met Kang Taeshik, and in return, Baek Miho had shared all the routes the White Tiger Guild was currently searching with Suho. Thanks to that information, Suho, with Gray leading the way, began looking for villains in the remaining areas, excluding the ones the White Tiger Guild was already covering. As previously agreed, they were sharing information and cooperating.
Baek Miho was greatly relieved after hearing from him. In fact, the most significant reason other hunters were hesitant to help with this incident was the possibility of Hwang Dongsoo's involvement.
"There's also the possibility that the information is wrong. Or rather, no matter how strained their relationship is, a brother wouldn't want to see his own sibling die."
"Blood is thicker than water... is that what you're saying?" At the guild member's words, Baek Miho's expression turned grim.
The thing she worried about the most was becoming more and more likely. The power of an S-rank Awakened was truly a force of nature. Hwang Dongsoo was someone the White Tiger Guild couldn't handle without their leader.
'Of course, if we went all out, we could probably injure him...' But in return, they would have to risk their lives. They might even face annihilation.
'In the end, only another S-rank can deal with an S-rank.'
Having organized her thoughts, Baek Miho finally made a decision. "We need to request support from my father, I mean, the guild master."
"Yes! I'll contact him right away!" As soon as Baek Miho finished speaking, the guild member immediately tried to contact the White Tiger office.
And a moment later, a reply came. "The chairman said he'll head to Pocheon as soon as possible!"
Baek Miho breathed a sigh of relief at those words. The reason Baek Yoonho, the leader of the White Tiger Guild, hadn't participated in this incident from the beginning was simple…
He was busy.
It wasn't simply a matter of how expensive his time was. The few S-rank Hunters were constantly busy dealing with the most dangerous dungeons in the country and no one could replace them. That's why tasks that required fieldwork, like this one, were usually handled by the vice president, Baek Miho. It was the most efficient way, and also the most effective way to protect citizens from dungeons and magic beasts.
But... 'We've done all the fieldwork we can.'
Their efforts so far hadn't been in vain. By confirming all the areas they had searched were clear, only a few regions remained. And one of them was...
'Yamri.'
Baek Miho was currently leading the guild members towards the small village in Pocheon that they hadn't searched yet.
Then she suddenly remembered. 'Oh, that's right. This is the direction Hunter Sung Suho said he would search.'
That meant he must have passed through that village as well. And since he hadn't contacted them yet, it was highly likely that he hadn't found any traces in the village either. From a distance, Yamri looked too peaceful for anything to have happened there. Baek Miho smiled bitterly and gave an order to the guild members.
"Let's pass through quickly so the citizens don't get alarmed."
They entered Yamri Village, and just as it looked from the outside, the village was quiet and peaceful. It was typical of remote places. The quiet atmosphere, with not even a single person walking around...
Shiver!
"What's this?" Baek Miho suddenly tensed, sensing the strange atmosphere and the same went for the beast-transformation hunters of the White Tiger Guild.
"Vice President! Something's strange!"
"I can't sense any human presence in the village...!"
Meanwhile…
"The White Tiger Guild?"
Suho, who was continuing the battle while following Beru's directions to find Harmakan, also spotted the White Tiger Guild. Baek Miho was leading them into the Yamri Village. However as Suho approached them amidst the chaotic battle, something unexpected happened.
Ding!
[Cannot exit the dungeon. Defeat the boss or use a Hearthstone.]
"Hmm? What's this?" Suho tapped the invisible wall blocking his path with a puzzled expression.
Knock, knock!
"A barrier?"
But then something even stranger happened.
"Vice President! Something's strange..."
"I can't sense any human presence in the..."
The White Tiger Guild members, on the other hand, were able to walk through the transparent wall without any issue. And as they crossed the border, their figures completely disappeared from Suho's sight.
"Huh?" His eyes widened.
It seemed that this invisible wall separated this space from the other side. When Suho tried to force his way out, another message popped up.
Ding!
[Cannot exit the dungeon. Defeat the boss or use a Hearthstone.]
[Could this be...?] Beru, realizing the situation, touched the transparent barrier with a grave expression.
"Do you know something?"
[It seems we've entered an Instance Dungeon.]
"Instance Dungeon?"
Suho looked puzzled. As far as he knew, there were two types of dungeons: normal dungeons accessed through gates and field-type dungeons. But an Instance Dungeon? Leaving aside whether such a dungeon existed, he hadn't even stepped foot in a gate in the first place.
"Did we pass through a gate without realizing it?"
[That's not the issue. An Instance Dungeon isn't a real, physical dungeon.]
There was another reason why Beru was so serious. [Instance Dungeons were developed by Candiaru, the architect of the System. And their sole purpose was to help Sung Jinwoo, the vessel of the Shadow Monarch, grow stronger!]
Suho's expression hardened at Beru's explanation.
"A dungeon developed by Candiaru? But how did Harmakan create it?"
Meanwhile, Harmakan's giant hands continued to attack Suho, who was trapped in the village. He dodged the attack and his eyes gleamed.
"Well, I guess I'll have to ask him directly."
[Yes… I found him. He is in the abandoned house at the edge of the village.]
The moment Beru finished speaking, Suho immediately turned and ran. The house at the edge of the village. It was the only building that hadn't been affected by the spatial distortion caused by Harmakan's magic. The old man was hiding there. Even in this natural disaster, he vigorously smashed the wall of the only unharmed commercial building and entered.
Bang!
[This guy! You finally found me!] Harmakan, who was hiding in it, gritted his teeth and muttered a spell.
[But finding me doesn't mean you can kill me! Because the magic circle has already been completed!] Harmakhan quickly spread his hands and activated his shamanic formation.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Numerous ghosts flew from his hands and attacked Suho. However, he was not fooled.
"It's just an illusion."
As he evaded the ghosts, he reached out and sent Vulcan's horn flying sideways.
'Rulers power!' Brilliant beams of light began to hack through the entire space, creating countless straight lines.
Bang!
An amazing thing happened. Vulcan's horns were stuck in the empty air. And, the real Harmakan hiding there began to slowly materialize. With Suho's sword piercing the middle of that bony body.
[You, how...] At that moment, a strange thing happened.
The moment Harmakan, who was the center of this shamanc circle, was directly attacked. An invisible wave centered on his body spread out in all directions.
Ring! Ring!
[Contaminated mana is purified.]
[Contaminated mana is purified.]
The souls of the Death Knights, which had been contaminated by Harmakan's sorcery, began to be purified one by one. But now, that wasn't what he was concerned about.
[This, this power... ... .]
Harmakan looked down at the horns of Vulcan that had pierced him with a look of great embarrassment. His surprise was not simply because Suho had not been fooled by his illusions and had found the place where he was hiding. It was because he noticed that the identity of the power that enveloped Vulcan's horn was the 'Ruler's Authority'.
[How on earth are you using the skill only Rulers can wield… !] Harmakhan shouted at Suho with a shocked expression.
Originally, the Ruler's Authority was not simple telekinesis. And as the name suggests, that power could only be used by rulers… It was a symbol of angels born of light, and a unique ability that enabled them to fly. The soldiers of the sky they commanded could fly using wings, but the rulers could fly without them. But how? How on earth could a mere human use this great power?
[Could it be that he is a vessel for one of them? No, it can't be.]
Harmakan, who confirmed Suho's appearance with his own eyes, was able to make sure. It's clear that he's an unusual human being, but he's been using the power of a Rakan and iron body Monarch from the beginning. A power that is the exact opposite of the rulers. Then all of a sudden
[No, wait.]
Soon after realizing the shocking truth, Harmakhan's eyes began to slowly become stained with fear.
[No, that's impossible]
Descendant of the Fang monarch?
Descendant of an iron body Monarch ?
No, it can't be!
It was absolutely impossible to inherit the power of lords born in darkness and at the same time use the authority of a ruler born in the light. But there was just one exception.
[You can't be the shadow lord… !] At those words, Suho, who had been running to defeat the specters and Death Knights around him and put an end to Harmakan, hesitated. Then he mumbled with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"... Oh, I was caught."
Swoop.
Suddenly, his eyes looked around at the Death Knights who were lying around.
"Then it doesn't matter."
[Shadow extraction is possible.]
[Shadow extraction is possible.]
Numerous messages floating above the shadows of the purified Death Knights.
Suho raised the corner of his mouth with a slightly relieved expression.\
"Arise."
At that moment, countless shadows surrounding Harmakan began to stand up at once.